Xue Qinghe's brow twitched.
Give it to me?
That was the Pope's Order!
Seeing it was the same as seeing the Pope. It represented the supreme authority of Spirit Hall, and this guy was just handing it over like it was nothing?
His nonchalant attitude only fanned the flames of anger in Xue Qinghe's heart.
For the sake of that so-called plan, he had been lying low in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace for over a decade, wearing a mask every day and treading on thin ice.
Just then, a noisy argument erupted outside the hall.
"We want to see His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"I have urgent military intelligence to report! It concerns the safety of the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall's conspiracy!"
"Let us in!"
Lin Qiu's brow lifted slightly. That voice sounded familiar.
Xue Qinghe's expression darkened, a flash of displeasure in his eyes. He turned to the guards outside the door and asked:
"Who's making all that noise?"
A guard hurried in and dropped to one knee.
"Your Highness, it's Flender, the man who wants to open an academy in the city, along with someone named Yu Xiaogang. They claim they've caught Spirit Hall's fake Holy Son and want to expose the deception."
At the mention of those two names, Xue Qinghe glanced instinctively at Lin Qiu.
But Lin Qiu acted as if nothing was amiss. He picked up a delicate pastry from the plate and took a bite, chewing it slowly.
"Let them in."
Xue Qinghe waved a hand.
A moment later, two bedraggled figures burst into the hall.
One of Flender's arms hung limp at his side. His broken bone had clearly not been set, and his face was pale as paper.
Yu Xiaogang's face was flushed, his eyes bloodshot. The moment he